Brazilian progressive leader and incumbent president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva made history last night, defeating far-right Flávio Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party in the second round after coming in second in the first round.

The results were awaited with bated breath after a judge ordered polls to be open for two more hours following complaints from voters who claimed they had been unable to reach polling places due to transportation problems. First the Workers’ Party (PT), and then the Liberal Party (PL), requested the extension, which paused the vote count until 7:00 pm in Brasília, the capital.

With 51.79% of the valid votes, the former union leader, metalworker, and head of the Workers’ Party staged a historic comeback against Bolsonaro, who lost the initial momentum he had in the first round and barely reached 48.21%. This is the first time a candidate who finished second in Brazil’s first round has staged a comeback and won the election in the runoff.

Bolsonaro entered the runoff with a relative – though significant – lead following his victory in the first round of voting on October 4, where he received 47.03% (approximately 56,104,503 votes), while Lula, to the surprise of many, came in second with 45.16% (53,879,538 votes).

In other words, there was a gap of nearly 3 million votes between the two candidates that seemed very difficult for Lula to overcome, especially considering that the remaining votes were split among candidates who were mostly from the right and center-right – a fact that led many to believe that Bolsonaro, the son of former president and currently imprisoned Jair Bolsonaro, would win the runoff.

But Lula, a true legend of Brazilian politics (a labor leader during the dictatorship who won the presidency three times), achieved the unthinkable. Between the first and second rounds of voting, he managed to gain more than 10 million votes compared to the first round – an astronomical figure, considering that Bolsonaro barely managed to gain some 3.7 million votes.

Lula’s victory

After it was clear that Lula’s victory was irreversible, the Brazilian streets were filled with people wearing the traditional red of the Workers’ Party. However, the victory was celebrated by a sort of broad coalition that had formed to overturn the result – one that spanned the political spectrum from classical left-wing parties and movements, to progressive liberals, and even some center-right groups that saw Bolsonaro as a threat to democracy.

In his speech marking his fourth presidential victory, Lula said: “I want to thank the Brazilian people – those who have stood by me for so long – and express my gratitude for the generosity of Brazil’s young people … We are going to change the way this country is governed … we are going to involve the people more. Digital communication will play a very significant role in this administration. I will deliver the best presidential term this country has ever seen.”

“Following our victory, we will have to discuss a new way of governing this country. The people’s participation in this campaign – the students, women, and workers who took to the streets – will compel us to find a new way of governing. This country will never be the same again,” said the reelected president.

Lula also stated that the debates against Bolsonaro and the PL campaign were riddled with lies and “denialism”: “I never thought a person could lie so much in this country, with such brazenness, as if there were not a single shred of humanity within him.”

Finally, he also addressed the problems his campaign faced regarding the dissemination of its messages on social media. The PT repeatedly denounced that the major social media platforms hindered or outright prevented the spread of its political messages, while Bolsonaro’s messages faced no such issues.

Is Meta meddling in Brazil's elections? With Sunday's runoff neck and neck, new reporting raises serious questions.

The pattern is hard to ignore: Lula's campaign was blocked from boosting Instagram posts for nearly 24 hours, his ad account was previously restricted, and… pic.twitter.com/DVjDWJa7Xw

— BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) October 23, 2026

Hence, he suggested placing limits on the power of the major corporations behind social media platforms – a stance he has taken on other occasions and which has caused friction with tech giants: “We cannot fail to recognize that a crime in the digital world must be treated the same as a crime in real life. We cannot have monstrous companies of this size – which make billions without paying taxes to our country – trying to alter election results,” Lula said in his victory speech.

Bolsonaro’s reaction

For his part, far-right politician Flávio Bolsonaro said he “rejects” the election results and announced that he will seek to have the election annulled: “We are going to consult with our legal team; we are going to request that these elections be annulled. I will not accept that the rules of the game have been changed in the middle of the game – once again – by Lula’s friends on the Federal Supreme Court.”

Bolsonaro, who delivered his speech to his supporters, was referring to the extension of voting hours. According to his team, the extension was ordered after the polling stations had closed, which, they claimed, violates Brazilian electoral rules – even though the PL itself had also requested the extension.

This is not the first time that Bolsonaro’s supporters have rejected Lula’s victory. In 2022, it was Jair Bolsonaro who refused to acknowledge his defeat. Months later, during Lula’s inauguration, hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters violently stormed several government buildings, after which investigations were launched into an alleged attempted coup d’état. One of those found guilty in the case was Jair Bolsonaro himself, who is currently serving a sentence for that crime.

However, it will be difficult for Bolsonaro’s allegations to gain traction in Brazil’s immediate future. With the exception of Argentina’s far-right politician Milei, South American countries – through their heads of state and foreign ministries – have publicly congratulated Lula on his victory, which amounts to a de facto recognition of his win.

However, the Bolsonaros still have the Trump administration as a last resort, as it has publicly supported the PL candidate, just as it did with his father in the past. This is the first time since Trump began his second term that a candidate he supported in a Latin American country has failed to win, which still raises questions about what Washington’s stance will be regarding Lula’s historic victory – a victory in which, against all odds, he managed to defeat Washington’s candidate and thus halted a wave of far-right victories in Latin America.

The American Association of Jurists (AAJ) has demanded the immediate release of former Ecuadorian presidential candidate Luisa González, who remains in pretrial detention as part of the Labyrinth case—an investigation into alleged money laundering linked to the financing of the 2023 presidential campaign of the Citizen Revolution (RC) movement.

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In a statement released on October 26, the organization described the opposition leader’s detention as arbitrary and questioned the precautionary measure, which was imposed just over a month before Ecuador’s local elections, scheduled for November 29.

The AAJ maintained that pretrial detention must be justified by specific procedural risks, such as the risk of flight or the potential to obstruct an investigation. According to the association, González had remained available to the judicial authorities since a raid conducted in January 2026; she had kept them informed of her international travel, returned to the country, and was subsequently arrested at her home.

“In the absence of a procedural risk, this measure functions as a preemptive sentence,” the organization stated, citing both the Ecuadorian Constitution and Inter-American jurisprudence to argue that the deprivation of liberty prior to a conviction should be an exceptional measure.

The AAJ also denounced the use of ongoing investigations—in which no verdict has been reached—as tools for electoral exclusion, noting that González’s detention occurs within a broader context of decisions that, in the organization’s view, restrict democratic competition.

⭕️ #ATENCIÓN | La Asociación Americana de Juristas condenó la detención de @LuisaGonzalezEc y exigió su libertad inmediata. La organización denunció el uso de la prisión preventiva y de investigaciones sin sentencia como mecanismos de exclusión electoral y alertó sobre la… pic.twitter.com/KaV7c1Tb36

— Radio Pichincha (@radio_pichincha) October 25, 2026

The text reads, “The American Association of Jurists condemned the detention of @LuisaGonzalezEc and demanded her immediate release. The organization denounced the use of pretrial detention and investigations without a sentence as mechanisms of electoral exclusion and warned about the proscription of the opposition in Ecuador. The AAJ will bring the case before the IACHR and UN organizations.”

In its statement, the association linked González’s case to a series of actions taken against opposition organizations and figures. These include the temporary suspension of the Citizen Revolution, the deregistration of other political parties, the suspension of the AMIGO movement, and the rejection of González’s candidacy.

The organization also pointed to the raid on the Quito municipal government offices and the decision to move up the date of the elections. According to the AAJ, these actions constitute a pattern of suppressing the political opposition in Ecuador. The organization argued that the American Convention on Human Rights limits the restriction of political rights and prohibits the suspension—even during states of emergency—of the judicial guarantees essential for their protection.

Furthermore, the legal organization announced that it will bring the case before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers, and the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

Additionally, it called on electoral observation missions to assess the conditions for fair competition in the elections scheduled for November 29. The statement was signed by Claudia V. Rocca, president of the AAJ Continental, and Vanessa Ramos, the organization’s secretary-general.

#Ecuador | Former President Rafael Correa denounced the arrest of Luisa Gonzalez, a former presidential candidate and a leading figure in the Citizen Revolution movement.https://t.co/X40VSCtbKF

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 23, 2026

The week before October 25 in Brazil was frenetic. It appeared that every one of the over 200 million Brazilians had a political opinion about the presidential election. The country was fundamentally polarized. Polls showed that the vote was going to be tight, with most polls favoring the challenger Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the former president Jair Bolsonaro, and the standard bearer of the far right of a special type. But the incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, known as Lula and president of Brazil from 2003 to 2011 and then since 2023, would not allow the polls to stop him. He traveled the length and breadth of the country, holding massive and energetic rallies to mobilize people to vote. In the first round, 21% of the voters did not turn out in a process that is otherwise compulsory (and a large section who did vote left the presidential section either unmarked or spoiled). Only 2.2 million ballots separated Bolsonaro (who won 47% in the first round) from Lula of the 158.7 million registered voters. To win between October 4 (first round) and October 25 (second round), Lula had to either attract people who had voted for Bolsonaro or those who had not voted or spoiled their ballots. No other candidate had turned around such a deficit in Brazil’s modern history. But Lula did it.

Streets

In the three weeks between the first and second rounds, Lula and his team motivated millions of people onto the streets in the large cities of Brazil, but also in several smaller, but significant towns. These enormous mobilizations created a sense that Lula would overcome the mathematical disadvantage presented by the voting numbers after the first round. All psephological analyses showed that Bolsonaro would cruise through in the second round, which would have indicated the impossibility for Lula. But the left did not rest on this handicap but went on the offensive.

In the first round, Bolsonaro finished 2.22 million votes ahead, but in the runoff, Lula finished with 4.43 million votes ahead. The margin moved by 6.66 million votes. These votes came from the large cities: the 319 cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, home to 57% of Brazil’s population, delivered 3.89 of the 6.66 million of the turnaround. Lula’s vote grew more in municipalities that are more evangelical, richer, whiter, more schooled, and more urban. This meant that he ate substantially into Bolsonaro’s base, which was something that surprised even the Lula team. The key to the turnaround was the mass mobilizations driven by the social movements, with the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST) in the lead.

Advances

Across his three terms, Lula has presided over an extraordinary advance in the social conditions of the Brazilian people. Bolsa Família, increases in the minimum wage, the expansion of public universities, and support for family farming brought food, income, and opportunity into households that the ruling class had long treated as disposable. These achievements changed millions of lives and established that poverty could be confronted through public action. Yet the political formula that made these advances possible has reached its limits. Lula sought to improve the lives of the poor while accommodating the power of finance, agribusiness, and the dominant sections of Brazilian capital. During his first two terms, favorable international conditions created room for this accommodation. But redistribution without a corresponding transformation of economic power left the foundations of inequality intact, allowing the beneficiaries of the old order to retain the means to obstruct change and reverse its gains.

In his third term, fiscal restrictions, expensive credit, and dependence on conservative parliamentary forces have narrowed the space for reform. Social programs remain indispensable, but they cannot by themselves overcome insecure employment, household indebtedness, inadequate public services, or the concentration of land and wealth. The exhaustion lies in a governing strategy whose compromises increasingly obstruct the fulfilment of its promises. Lula’s personal authority cannot indefinitely bridge the distance between popular expectations and the concessions demanded by the powerful. A renewed project will require the organized strength of workers, peasants, and residents of the urban peripheries, the very people who form Lula’s base, with an agenda of agrarian reform, public investment, industrial development, and democratic control over finance. The movements that filled the streets must acquire greater power to shape the government’s direction. Defeating the far right opens that possibility, but securing the social gains of the Lula years will require confronting the structures that continually threaten them.

Defeat of Trump

US President Donald Trump, his vice president JD Vance, and members of the Brazilian diaspora in Miami put an immense amount of effort into defeating Lula. Brazil, which makes up half the landmass of South America, and is the largest economy in Latin America, stands out against the wave of far-right governments that now dominate the Americas. Interference in the Brazilian elections is now an acknowledged fact, with Meta cutting off Lula’s accounts at a crucial stage of the contest and other reports of funding and social media intervention.

Trump had hoped that Bolsonaro would win in Brazil so that he can then strengthen his Shield of the Americas process that began in Miami in March 2026. This process was presented by Trump as an institutional form to coordinate security but also for the suffocation of the popular movements and the left. Lula’s victory has blocked Trump’s path to exercise the Monroe Doctrine. It has also meant that Trump will not be able to so easily access the critical minerals in Brazil or to dominate the new oil find in the basin of the Amazon delta.

Despite the obstacles faced by Lula, his victory has been able to show that the far right is not invincible.

Vijay Prashad is an Indian historian and journalist. He is the author of forty books, including Washington Bullets, Red Star Over the Third World, The Darker Nations: A People’s History of the Third World, The Poorer Nations: A Possible History of the Global South, and How the International Monetary Fund Suffocates Africa, written with Grieve Chelwa. He is the executive director of Tricontinental: Institute for Social Research, the chief correspondent for Globetrotter, and the chief editor of LeftWord Books (New Delhi). He also appeared in the films Shadow World (2016) and Two Meetings (2017).

This article was produced by Globetrotter.

Previously, President De la Espriella formalized his country’s accession to Trump’s Shield of the Americas.

On Monday, the Colombian army announced that more than 300 U.S. soldiers will participate in joint military exercises in Colombia focused on combating drug trafficking, illegal mining and unmanned aerial systems.

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The U.S. military personnel will arrive on Tuesday at the Tolemaida military base, located in the municipality of Nilo, in the department of Cundinamarca, where the fourth edition of the “Southern Vanguard 2026” training exercise will take place through Nov. 11.

During the exercises, members of the Colombian army’s No. 1 Counter-Narcotics Battalion will exchange tactics, techniques and procedures with light infantry soldiers from the U.S. Army Mountain battalion.

The training will begin on Oct. 30, with a simulated aeromedical evacuation from Tolemaida to the facilities of the Cavalry School in Bogota, using aircraft and specialized medical equipment.

“The objective will be to verify the medical care and first aid procedures used by medical personnel from both armies to assist a person who would have been injured in a mined area,” the Colombian army said.

🇺🇸🇵🇪🇦🇷🇨🇱 O Exército dos EUA concluiu no dia 18 de setembro o Exercício Southern Vanguard 2026, uma operação internacional que contou com 400 militares dos EUA, Argentina, Chile e Peru treinando em conjunto situações de combate na selva amazônica peruana. pic.twitter.com/bZcK6NALun

— Análise Geopolítica (@AnaliseGeopol) October 2, 2026

The text reads, “On Sept. 18, the U.S. Army concluded Exercise Southern Vanguard 2026, an international operation involving 400 military personnel from the U.S., Argentina, Chile, and Peru, who trained together in combat scenarios within the Peruvian Amazon rainforest.”

Colombian authorities explained that the exercises aim to strengthen “military cooperation and assess both forces’ ability to operate jointly, coordinate maneuvers and make decisions in operational scenarios.”

The arrival of the military personnel comes amid closer relations between Bogota and Washington since Colombian President Abelardo de la Espriella, a U.S. citizen, took office on Aug. 7, with security cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking as central pillars of the bilateral agenda.

The far-right president formalized Colombia’s accession to the Shield of the Americas, an initiative promoted by U.S. President Donald Trump to strengthen regional cooperation against drug trafficking and criminal organizations.

The rapprochement was evident on Sept. 8, when U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited Barranquilla and met with De la Espriella in the first high-level meeting between the two governments since the Colombian president took office.

Following the meeting, the two countries announced the so-called Barranquilla Accords, a road map that includes, among other issues, security cooperation and the fight against drug trafficking.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

On Monday, public-sector biochemists in Paraguay joined a three-day national strike affecting approximately 177 laboratories across the country. They are demanding salary increases, better working conditions, and the provision of medical supplies and reagents in hospitals.

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The action was organized by the Union of Biochemists of Paraguay (UBP) and includes the suspension of outpatient laboratory tests. However, the union has guaranteed that care for emergency cases, hospitalized patients, and those in intensive care—among other priority services—will continue.

The biochemists are demanding a salary increase of 2 million guaraníes, equivalent to approximately 347 US dollars at the current exchange rate. According to biochemist Laila Peña, a professional employed by the Ministry of Public Health and Social Welfare earns 4.3 million guaraníes (746 US dollars), while a temporary contract worker receives between 3.2 and 3.6 million guaraníes (between 555 and 625 US dollars).

Peña stated that salaries in the sector have been frozen for 14 years, noting that 70% of diseases are diagnosed in laboratories. In addition to a pay adjustment, the union is requesting a larger supply of materials and reagents, as well as the formal appointment of temporary contract staff to permanent positions.

HUELGA NACIONAL |👩‍🔬🧑‍🔬📢

🗣️La Dra. Nathalia Zarza, vocera de la Unión de Bioquímicas del Paraguay (UBP), informó sobre el inicio de la medida de fuerza que se extenderá por 3 días.#1000Noticias #1000am📻🎙️

➕INFO en:👇https://t.co/TiPDktj73g pic.twitter.com/zV3Sm9xDv4

— Radio 1000 AM (@1000_am) October 26, 2026

The text reads, “NATIONAL STRIKE. Dr. Nathalia Zarza, spokesperson for the Union of Biochemists of Paraguay (UBP), announced the start of a strike action that will last for 3 days.”

In the Amambay Department, biochemists from the 13th Health Region joined the strike outside the Regional Hospital of Pedro Juan Caballero. Carmen Barreto, a biochemist, told radio station Urundey 103.3 FM that participation is nearly universal nationwide, while critical services will remain operational. “Emergency, inpatient, and intensive care services will remain covered,” noted Barreto, specifying that in the emergency department, only tests related to emergency cases will be performed.

The representative explained that patients with scheduled appointments will not lose their slots, as their tests will be rescheduled—with the exception of oncology and emergency cases. She further detailed that permanent staff earn approximately five million guaraníes, while contract-based staff receive between 3.2 and 3.9 million guaraníes.

The strike comes months after public-sector doctors held protests between August and September. Following those demonstrations, President Santiago Peña’s administration authorized salary increases of approximately 2 million guaraníes ($347 USD) for more than 20,000 professionals, to take effect starting next year.

The industrial action by the biochemists aims to compel the State to address their salary demands and ensure adequate conditions for the operation of public laboratories, which are considered vital for diagnosis and healthcare across the country.

🇵🇾 Severe flooding forces thousands to evacuate in Paraguay.

Around 4,200 families have been evacuated as heavy rainfall and rising water levels in the Paraná River trigger widespread flooding, threatening communities and homes.

As floodwaters continue to affect the region,… pic.twitter.com/wPJq0nxJgr

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 23, 2026

Progressive Leader Defeats Flavio Bolsonaro in Runoff, Blunting Washington’s Push for Regional Allies.

On Sunday, the unexpected reelection of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva represents a setback for U.S. President Donald Trump’s plans to consolidate his influence in Latin America, at a time when the rightward shift of several countries seemed to be clearing his path.

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The Workers’ Party leader prevailed with nearly 52% of the vote over far-right Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), and became the first candidate to win a runoff after finishing second in the first round.

As Trump has yet to comment on the results, which Flavio has refused to recognize, Lula’s victory frustrates the possibility that Washington could add Latin America’s largest economy to its bloc of regional allies.

The setback for the MAGA leader comes just days before midterm elections in which polls indicate Democrats could wrest control of Congress from him.

A major hit for the Donroe Doctrine. Lula wins a fourth term in a historic comeback. https://t.co/PaxbXozabt

— Mother Jones (@MotherJones) October 26, 2026

A Limit on Regional Momentum

In his second term, Trump announced he would revive the Monroe Doctrine, a 19th-century policy he invokes to assert U.S. primacy in Latin America.

When he returned to the White House, his regional allies were few, among them Javier Milei in Argentina, Nayib Bukele in El Salvador, and Daniel Noboa in Ecuador.

Rightward shifts in Honduras (Nasry Asfura), Bolivia (Rodrigo Paz), Chile (Jose Antonio Kast), Peru (Keiko Fujimori), and Colombia (Abelardo de la Espriella) broadened that bloc. On repeated occasions, Trump boasted of having contributed to those victories.

The axis of Trump’s foreign policy toward Latin America is the “Shield of the Americas,” an alliance supposedly aimed at fighting drug trafficking but which in reality seeks to consolidate U.S. hegemony. Flavio Bolsonaro had promised to join that new U.S. geopolitical instrument.

Washington also seeks to counter China’s growing influence in Latin America, although a Flavio victory would hardly have altered Brazil’s economic ties with the Asian giant, given the weight of the agro-industrial sector in the Bolsonarist coalition and its dependence on the Chinese market.

Currently, Lula’s presidency in Brazil and Claudia Sheinbaum’s presidency in Mexico emerge as the main counterweights to Trump’s domination project.

This story is extremely important:

A whistleblower revealed that Brazil's far-right Bolsonaro family dynasty met with Meta to discuss US plans to interfere in Brazil's election, to prevent Lula from winning.

Lula's Facebook and Instagram accounts were censored a few days before… pic.twitter.com/lB8pkvssqY

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) October 15, 2026

A Calculated Caution

Despite what was at stake in Brazil, Trump avoided expressly supporting Flavio Bolsonaro, unlike what happened in Colombia, where he openly backed De la Espriella. His presence, however, was felt, and Lula’s campaign denounced interference from Washington.

Lula himself declared in his victory speech that the result demonstrates that in Brazil “we do not accept being anyone’s backyard.”

A Flavio victory would have meant “100 percent alignment with Trump in his culture war and security policy,” explained Benjamin Gedan, director of the Latin America Program at the Stimson Center think tank.

The Republican was “clearly excited about this possibility,” but an explicit endorsement could have “hurt” the candidate, he added. Trump, however, had already taken a stand through his actions. In 2025, his administration imposed high tariffs on Brazil in response to the trial against Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to prison for attempting a coup d’etat against Lula in 2023.

In May, Trump received presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro in the Oval Office, an unusual gesture since he was not a head of state. Flavio asked him to designate the First Capital Command (PCC) and the Red Command as terrorist organizations.

The White House agreed to that request four days later, a decision Lula opposed out of fear that the measure would open the door to U.S. interventionism.

Washington also opened a trade investigation against Brazil over alleged unfair practices, revoked the visa of the Brazilian ambassador and suspended its consular services two days before the first round — in which Bolsonaro defeated Lula — citing security reasons.

That involvement also exposes Washington to the region’s political changes. For Oliver Stuenkel, a researcher at the Carnegie center, ideological alliances are a fragile bet in a scenario marked by frequent alternations in power. “The kind of ideological interventionism that the Trump administration is carrying out in the region is counterproductive. In the medium and long term, it will strengthen anti-American forces,” he said.

Lula’s reelection thus forces Washington to deal with a Brazil that does not share its agenda and highlights the limits of its strategy for Latin America.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

On Monday, scientific institutions and environmental authorities announced that Cuba is advancing scientific and community-based projects to strengthen the climate resilience of vulnerable coastal communities in the southern part of the country. These initiatives involve the study of mangroves, environmental remote sensing, and the integration of human mobility considerations into territorial planning.

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The Center for Environmental Studies (CEAC) presented an analysis of coastline changes between 2016 and 2024, as well as the spatiotemporal variability of the mangroves within the Punta la Iguana ecotone. This area is located at the mouth of the Caunao River, in the Bay of Jagua, in south-central Cuba—approximately 250 kilometers from Havana.

Dr. Minerva Sánchez Llull, a specialist at the CEAC, explained that the team utilized optical remote sensing—incorporating Sentinel-2 imagery and QGIS software—for their analysis. Water quality assessments were based on data from monitoring stations within the bay’s hydrological monitoring program that influence the ecotone.

🌿 Hoy se desarrolló el Taller Final del Proyecto Territorial (PT) Ecotono de Manglar, un espacio de intercambio y socialización de resultados que evidenció el trabajo, la dedicación y los aportes del proyecto al conocimiento y conservación de estos valiosos ecosistemas. pic.twitter.com/EJqVlBeC5V

— Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos (@botanico_cfg) October 20, 2026

The text reads, “Today, the final workshop for the “Mangrove Ecotone” Territorial Project (PT) took place—a forum for exchange and the sharing of results that highlighted the work, dedication, and contributions of the project toward the understanding and conservation of these valuable ecosystems.”

Sánchez Llull noted that the results indicate a relatively stable coastline over the study period, a slight expansion of mangrove cover around the ecotone, and oligotrophic (nutrient-poor) water conditions at the monitored sites—all of which served as indicators for assessing climate risk in the coastal zone. The study further identified a high level of risk across both sectors of the ecotone, driven by exposure to coastal dynamics and ecological vulnerability, alongside a moderate adaptive capacity. Conservation and Environmental Education

The Cienfuegos Botanical Garden (JBC), the project’s primary implementing entity, presented its achievements. Its director, Niurka Medina Bárzaga, reported on the identification of endemic and threatened species, the propagation and reintroduction of several of these species, and the implementation of environmental education initiatives for children in the Junco Viejo community.

The “Mangrove Ecotone” Territorial Project brought together the JBC, the CEAC (Center for Environmental Studies of Cienfuegos), and the Provincial Meteorological Center to study the relationship between the coastline, mangroves, and climate change in the Bay of Cienfuegos. According to the source, these ecosystems support biodiversity and coastal resilience, making their conservation essential for the region’s environmental management.

Another aspect examined by scientists during the meeting was human mobility and adaptation. In this regard, the Minister of Science, Technology, and the Environment, Armando Rodríguez Batista, emphasized the importance of integrating human mobility into climate change adaptation strategies for vulnerable coastal communities in southern Cuba.

Planned initiatives include a project currently in the validation phase, spearheaded by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in coordination with the Agency for Social and Humanistic Sciences (AXIS) and the Environment Agency (AMA)—both affiliated with the Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment (CITMA)—with support from the IOM Development Fund.

Interesante esto, algo que nuestras autoridades debieran tomar en cuenta y proteger mejor nuestros manglares pic.twitter.com/MDCsy8rBjp

— Cesar 🇵🇦 🖤 (@CesarWi98065754) October 26, 2026

The text reads,”This is interesting—something our authorities should take into account in order to better protect our mangroves.”

The initiative is set to begin in 2027 in Playa Cajío (Artemisa) and Surgidero de Batabanó (Mayabeque), in western Cuba. It aims to strengthen the governance of human mobility within the context of the climate and environmental crisis through socioeconomic studies, participatory assessments, and technical recommendations designed to incorporate these issues into territorial planning and risk management. Both locations are prioritized under the State Plan for Addressing Climate Change—known as “Tarea Vida” (Task Life)—due to their high exposure to coastal erosion, flooding, and sea-level rise.

The project will foster collaboration among scientific institutions, local governments, and communities to develop sustainable responses and strengthen the resilience of these areas. Specialists from AXIS, AMA, and the IOM conducted exploratory visits to both locations, where they engaged with authorities, community leaders, and institutional representatives to discuss the impacts of climate change and opportunities for future action.

Dr. Beatriz Martínez Daranas, a specialist from CITMA, emphasized the importance of conserving marine-coastal ecosystems—even amidst the country’s current economic circumstances and the urgent need to develop the economy through the implementation of the 176 measures approved by the National Assembly of People’s Power.

#Cuba | Cuba is reforming its state-owned enterprises to expand financial autonomy, boost domestic production, and strengthen cooperation with the private sector amid US sanctions.
The government says public ownership will remain central to its economic model.#EconomicReforms… pic.twitter.com/GJMG0FJz6d

— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) October 16, 2026

The Mexican president praised Brazil’s election result after the leftist leader defeated far-right Senator Bolsonaro.

On Monday, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum celebrated Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election in Brazil, after the leftist leader defeated far-right Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro in a runoff election.

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“Very happy about Lula’s victory in Brazil. Many, many congratulations to President Lula and the people of Brazil. It is a breath of fresh air for Latin America and the Caribbean. We are very, very happy,” Sheinbaum said during her morning news conference.

Her remarks came a day after the Mexican president congratulated Lula through her social media accounts, celebrating the election result with the message: “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won. Congratulations, President Lula!”

With the Brazilian president’s victory, Mexico and Brazil, the two largest economies in Latin America, will maintain leftist governments in a regional landscape marked by U.S.-backed far-right rulers.

Serei eternamente grato ao povo brasileiro. Cada gesto de confiança, cada voto e cada passo dado em defesa da democracia valeram a pena. A emoção dessa caminhada fortalece a certeza de que ainda temos muito a construir juntos.

Essa vitória não é um ponto de chegada, mas a… pic.twitter.com/Sf801bc4PR

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 26, 2026

The text reads, “I will be eternally grateful to the Brazilian people. Every gesture of trust, every vote, and every step taken in defense of democracy has been worth it. The emotion of this journey reinforces the certainty that we still have much to build together. This victory is not an end point, but rather a renewal of our commitment to Brazil, to social justice, to sovereignty, and to the hope for a better future for all. The path continues with an even stronger commitment to our people. Thank you very much, Brazil! This victory is ours!

Sheinbaum, who has expressed her political affinity with Lula, had ruled out Oct. 5 that a potential defeat for the Brazilian leader would lead to greater isolation for Mexico in Latin America.

On Sunday, the Workers’ Party leader defeated Flavio Bolsonaro with nearly 52% of the vote and staged an unprecedented comeback: Lula da Silva became the first candidate to win a presidential runoff after finishing second in the first round.

teleSUR/ JF

Source: EFE

The storm is expected to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and high waves to the states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

On Sunday, the Mexican government deployed a liaison and coordination mission to several Pacific coast states as Category 1 Hurricane Vance, on the five-category Saffir-Simpson wind scale, approaches the country’s western coast.

RELATED:

Mexico to Commemorate World Day for Audiovisual Heritage

The National Coordination of Civil Protection said the storm is expected to bring heavy rain, gusty winds and high waves to the western states of Guerrero, Michoacan, Colima and Jalisco.

Authorities urged residents in those states to remain alert to official warnings. They also advised those living near or traveling close to riverbanks, streams, or water channels to assess their surroundings and evacuate immediately to higher ground at the first sign of rising water.

“It is crucial to avoid crossing—whether on foot or by vehicle—flowing water, flooded streets, or submerged bridges, as the force of the current can sweep away both people and vehicles,” stated the National Coordination for Civil Protection (CNPC).

Tracking the center of Category 1 HURRICANE VANCE on 2026-10-25 UTC from GOES-West (true color night + colorized infrared) pic.twitter.com/eeKxrTJfP9

— 🏴‍☠️Luc Fontaine🏴‍☠️ (@coyotefxl) October 26, 2026

At 9 a.m. local time, Hurricane Vance was located about 440 km southwest of the port of Lazaro Cardenas in Michoacan and 510 km southwest of the resort city of Acapulco in Guerrero.

The storm is moving northwest at 7 kph, with maximum sustained winds of 120 kph and gusts of 150 kph, and is expected to bring rain of 50 to 75 millimeters in the four affected states.

The rainfall could also trigger landslides, cause rivers and stream levels to rise, and lead to overflowing waterways and flooding in low-lying areas.

teleSUR/ JF

Sources: Xinhua – EFE

Lula plans to expand technical education and use renewable energy to attract data centers and keep information stored in Brazil.

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Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to develop a domestic artificial intelligence system, expand technical education and attract data centers powered by renewable energy, aiming to strengthen Brazil’s technological independence and accelerate its transition to a developed economy.

RELATED: Lula Celebrates Reelection, Promises Education Reform and Sovereign AI

Speaking after his victory in the presidential runoff, Lula said Brazil must invest in mathematics and engineering to build its own artificial intelligence capabilities rather than depend on technology developed in China or the United States.

“We will teach more mathematics, more engineering, because I don’t want to depend on Chinese or American artificial intelligence; I want to create a Brazilian one,” he said.

Lula also pledged to use Brazil’s renewable energy resources to attract data centers and keep information stored within the country. The proposal forms part of a broader push to expand the digital economy and strengthen domestic technological capacity.

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Una publicación compartida por Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (@lulaoficial)

Text Reads: The Brazil we wish to build is a country where our elderly are cared for with dignity, women are respected, and everyone has the right to live out their faith in freedom.
It is a country that respects differences, with a State that guarantees rights for all—because to govern means to look after 215 million Brazilians, without distinction. Respect must be the starting point for us to build, together, a Brazil that is increasingly fair and humane.

“We want to transform this country from a developing country into a developed one,” he said, identifying the digital, green and creative economies as key areas for investment.

He also outlined an ambition for Brazil to play a central role in political and economic decision-making and in efforts to promote peace.

Lula promised that his next term would deliver unprecedented results, telling supporters: “I want to make a commitment: I will deliver the best term of office any president has ever had in Brazil’s history. You can be sure of that.”

The president-elect, who turns 81 on Oct. 27, dismissed concerns about his age as he prepares to take office for another term. He pledged to devote himself fully to the country’s development and to improving the daily lives of Brazilians.

“I will dedicate 20 or 24 hours a day to making this the country everyone dreams of, where people can go to sleep and wake up in complete peace of mind,” he said.

Lula also thanked voters for their support in the runoff and praised young people who took to the streets to defend democracy, crediting their participation as a key factor in his victory.

His pledges place artificial intelligence, renewable energy and digital infrastructure among the priorities he has outlined for Brazil’s next phase of development, alongside his ambition to transform the country into a developed nation.

A former Chihuahua prosecutor faces federal charges over a drug-lab operation involving US intelligence agents, escalating a dispute over Mexico’s national sovereignty.

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A Mexican federal judge has ordered the pretrial detention of former Chihuahua attorney general César Jáuregui Moreno on charges of treason, ruling that evidence supports allegations that he compromised national sovereignty by allowing US intelligence agents to take part in a drug-lab operation without federal authorization.

RELATED: Flávio Bolsonaro Rejects Lula’s Victory, Seeks Annulment

Judge Ricardo Alfonso Santos Dorantes issued the order early Sunday after finding sufficient grounds to bring Jáuregui Moreno to trial. The former prosecutor will remain in a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico while the case proceeds.

The charges stem from a mid-April operation to dismantle a drug laboratory in the Sierra del Pinal, in the northern border state of Chihuahua. According to Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office (FGR), agents from the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) participated without the required notification to the Foreign Affairs Ministry or the necessary legal authorizations.

Prosecutors argue that Jáuregui Moreno’s failure to act enabled armed foreign personnel to operate on Mexican territory in activities reserved exclusively for the federal government, putting national security at risk.

Luego de aportar más de 150 datos de prueba, la #FGR obtuvo auto de vinculación a proceso en contra de César “N”, ex fiscal general del estado de Chihuahua, por su posible participación en el delito de traición a la patria. pic.twitter.com/sbhM0vY6cG

— FGR México (@FGRMexico) October 25, 2026

Text Reads: After providing more than 150 pieces of evidence, the #FGR obtained an order of linkage to trial against César “N”, former Attorney General of the state of Chihuahua, for his possible involvement in the crime of treason against the homeland.

The FGR presented more than 150 pieces of evidence at the hearing. Prosecutors also cited public statements in which Jáuregui Moreno said the operation had been planned for months by Chihuahua’s State Investigation Agency and its Special Strategic Operations Prosecutor’s Office. They argued that the account pointed to information being withheld from federal authorities and shared with foreign personnel.

The defense presented documents and witness testimony to challenge the federal allegations. However, Judge Santos Dorantes upheld the charges and set a two-month deadline for investigators to complete the supplementary investigation.

Jáuregui Moreno was initially arrested in Chihuahua city on Saturday under a state-level warrant accusing him of illegally exercising public office and collusion. A local judge ordered him to stand trial on the public-office charge but did not impose pretrial detention, leaving open the possibility of his release.

On October 18, agents from the federal Criminal Investigation Agency arrested him under a separate warrant as he was leaving detention. He was transferred to Mexico City and taken to El Altiplano, a maximum-security prison in the State of Mexico. The hearing on the federal treason charge began on Saturday afternoon and was held behind closed doors.

The case has fueled tensions between state and federal authorities and sparked a wider political dispute over the Chihuahua operation. The controversy has also drawn attention to a private meeting on September 19 in Ciudad Juárez between Chihuahua Governor Maru Campos and President Claudia Sheinbaum.

Campos later disclosed details of the encounter, which involved heated exchanges over the case. She said she went public to counter rumors that she had reached a political pact or a behind-the-scenes agreement with the federal government.

Jorge Romero Herrera, national leader of the opposition National Action Party (PAN), defended Campos’s decision to disclose details of the meeting.

“She is an adult woman; she makes her own decisions,” Romero Herrera said. He also reaffirmed his party’s support for Campos and other PAN officials, including governors and mayors.

Venezuela and Cuba pledged continued cooperation with Brazil after Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential runoff.

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Venezuela and Cuba congratulated Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on his election victory, reaffirming their commitment to regional cooperation after he defeated Liberal Party candidate Flávio Bolsonaro in the presidential runoff.

RELATED: Massive Celebrations Erupt Across Brazil After Lula’s Run-off Victory

Venezuela’s government praised Brazilian voters for their participation in Sunday’s election, calling it a strong demonstration of civic engagement and democracy.

“The people of Brazil have given a resounding demonstration of civic and democratic participation,” Venezuelan Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia González said in a statement posted on social media.

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A post shared by Félix Plasencia González (@plasenciafelixr)

Text Reads: The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela congratulates the massive and civic participation of the pueblo of the Federative Republic of Brazil in the second electoral victory celebrated today that leads to the victory of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Caracas also reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining longstanding ties with Brazil, citing peace, respect for national sovereignty, self-determination and solidarity among Latin American and Caribbean nations.

Lula secured more than 64 million votes, representing 51.77% of valid ballots, defeating Bolsonaro, a senator and candidate for the Liberal Party (PL).

Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel described the result as a historic victory that would help preserve the pursuit of social justice. He also pledged Cuba’s support for greater regional unity and integration.

“Brazil can count on Cuba as we build unity and integration across our great Latin American and Caribbean homeland,” Díaz-Canel said.

Estimado hermano @LulaOficial, te felicito en nombre del gobierno y pueblo cubanos por esta victoria histórica que garantiza la continuidad del camino de paz, soberanía y justicia social emprendido por el pueblo brasileño bajo tu liderazgo.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/5U9azS8Mvc

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) October 26, 2026

Text Reads: Dear brother @LulaOficial, on behalf of the Cuban government and people, I congratulate you for this historic victory that ensures the continuity of the path of peace, sovereignty, and social justice embarked upon by the Brazilian people under your leadership.

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner also congratulated Lula, first praising Brazilian voters for their mobilization and then highlighting the president’s ability to rally support.

“Congratulations first to the Brazilian people, who today took part in an authentic electoral October 17, and then to you, comrade President Lula, who, in your seventh presidential election, knew how to awaken among your fellow citizens the feelings and sense of purpose needed to win this battle,” she wrote.

Former Bolivian President Evo Morales welcomed the outcome as a source of renewed hope for people across the continent fighting for social justice, dignity and sovereignty.

Addressing Lula as a close ally and fellow campaigner, Morales called the result a “beautiful and heroic victory.” The messages from Venezuela, Cuba, Argentina and Bolivia reflected the regional significance these leaders attached to Lula’s election win.

Brazil’s far-right candidate challenges the election result after voting hours were extended over public transport disruptions.

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Brazilian far-right presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro has rejected President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s reelection and vowed to seek the annulment of the vote, citing a Supreme Federal Court decision to extend voting hours amid allegations of disruptions to public transport.

RELATED: Massive Celebrations Erupt Across Brazil After Lula’s Run-off Victory

The Superior Electoral Court (TSE) confirmed Lula’s reelection on Sunday. Bolsonaro, however, declared the result unacceptable and announced plans to challenge it in court.

“It is impossible to recognize the election results,” Bolsonaro said. “We will turn to our legal team and request that these elections be annulled.”

Bolsonaro based his challenge on a ruling by Supreme Federal Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, who extended voting by two hours after the Workers’ Party (PT) reported alleged irregularities affecting voter transportation in several cities.

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The ruling came shortly before polls were due to close at 5 p.m. Zanin ordered polling stations nationwide to remain open until 7 p.m. Brasília time, citing the seriousness of the allegations and the urgency of the measure.

The PT accused mayors opposed to Lula of failing to comply with electoral court orders requiring municipalities to provide free public transport at full capacity on election day, as they would on a regular working day. The party also called for those responsible for the alleged violations to be caught in the act.

In Salvador, electoral authorities ordered the arrest of Pablo Souza, the city’s mobility secretary, over suspicions that he had withdrawn buses to disadvantage Lula. The northeastern city is governed by União Brasil, a center-right party allied with Bolsonaro. In the first round of the presidential election, Lula received 65% of the vote in Salvador, compared with 27% for Bolsonaro.

Brazilian trade union federations also denounced transport disruptions in several cities on election night and called for immediate action by the authorities.

In a statement, the unions condemned what they described as the deliberate obstruction of eligible voters’ right to participate in the election. They alleged that some cities had reduced their bus fleets despite a Supreme Federal Court order requiring public transport to operate at full capacity on election day.

The disruptions left thousands of people waiting at bus stops, uncertain whether they would reach polling stations in time. In some cases, the unions said, voters were unable to cast their ballots.

Bolsonaro’s campaign also sought an extension of voting hours, according to local media reports. His team requested additional time in cities across São Paulo, Paraná and Santa Catarina states, citing difficulties caused by heavy rainfall.

The dispute recalls the aftermath of the October 2022 presidential election, when Lula defeated Flávio Bolsonaro’s father, Jair Bolsonaro. The former president repeatedly challenged the result and conspired to overturn it.

On Jan. 8, 2023, thousands of his radicalized supporters stormed the Congress, presidential palace and Supreme Federal Court buildings in Brasília. Jair Bolsonaro was subsequently tried and is now serving a 27-year prison sentence for conspiring against Brazil’s democratic order and attempting a coup.

Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians poured into the streets of the country’s largest cities on Sunday night to celebrate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s runoff victory, sealed with more than 64 million votes and a comeback without precedent in Brazil’s democratic history.

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Hundreds of thousands of Brazilians filled the streets of the country’s main cities to celebrate the victory of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Presidential election on Sunday, October 25.

With 100% of the vote counted, the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) indicated that the current President obtained 51.79% of the votes against 48.21% for the ultra-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

RELATED: Lula Celebrates Reelection, Promises Education Reform and Sovereign AI

According to the official tally, Lula exceeded 64 million votes, making him the first president elected four times in the country. The count turned out to be a historic comeback, with 10 million votes won by the leader of the Workers’ Party (PT) between the first and second round.

Salvador, the capital of Bahia state, erupted first. The Rio Vermelho neighborhood, a traditional gathering point for left-wing activists, was taken over by the celebrations. Largo da Dinha filled with Lula voters, and fireworks lit the night sky near the Casa de Iemanjá. In the Imbuí district, neighbors leaned from the balconies of their buildings to join the party. More festivities unfolded in Graça, Pituba and Vila Laura.

🇧🇷 | Festejos masivos en São Paulo: miles de personas colmaron la Avenida Paulista para celebrar la victoria de Lula da Silva tras imponerse en el balotaje frente a Flávio Bolsonaro. Banderas, cánticos y euforia tiñen el corazón financiero de Brasil. pic.twitter.com/67Ipi8gK8e

— Mundo en Conflicto 🌎 (@MundoEConflicto) October 26, 2026

Bahia was decisive. The state contributed more than 6.4 million votes in the second round, 71% of its total, and almost 1.2 million in Salvador alone, 73% of the capital’s ballots, according to BNews. Those numbers helped reverse the first round, when Flávio Bolsonaro had finished ahead.

A Red Sea of People

In the federal capital, block 405 of Asa Norte became the main concentration point for Lula’s supporters. A true “sea of people,” dressed in red and waving flags and umbrellas, vibrated when the official victory announcement arrived. Celebrations also spread to Águas Claras and Guará, where some drivers sounded their horns through the night.

Across the political divide, supporters of Flavio Bolsonaro and of reelected Federal District governor Celina Leão had planned a Victory Act at the National Museum of the Republic that same Sunday. The contrast between the two gatherings captured the split that defined the contest.

In Rio de Janeiro, crowds also took to the streets to mark the historic comeback, one that Datafolha described as unprecedented since 1989.

SEGUIDORES DE LULA SALEN A CELEBRAR SU REELECCIÓN EN BRASILIA

🇧🇷🎉 Simpatizantes del presidente Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva se congregaron en una zona de bares de Brasilia, la capital de Brasil, para festejar su victoria sobre Flávio Bolsonaro. pic.twitter.com/zRm57ipIzX

— News On Demand (@OnDemand_News) October 26, 2026

With this recent electoral victory, Lula, now 80 years old, returns for a fourth term after finishing second in the first round, and after the courts sentenced his previous rival, Jair Bolsonaro, to more than 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 result. Flávio Bolsonaro, the imprisoned former President’s eldest son, carried the family banner this time and lost it.

The reelection also comes with a strengthened legislative position. The Workers’ Party (PT) gained more than 20 seats in the Chamber of Deputies compared with 2022.

The Brazilian result breaks with a regional trend that had favored right-wing candidates allied with Trump, and it repositions Brazil at the center of South American politics.

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva celebrated his reelection on Sunday with a pledge to govern for all 215 million Brazilians and a warning that digital platforms will be regulated.

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The triumph arrived with 51.79% of valid votes against 48.21% for Flavio Bolsonaro, with 99.99% of the votes countedcounted. Lula had finished second in the first round and secured a fourth term with the runoff.

Once the ballots were tallied, the Brazilian President affirmed that there are no more adversaries. “I have to govern for 215 million,” Lula said, promising to treat all citizens on equal terms and to give women greater respect in public policy.

RELATED: Latin American Leaders Celebrate Lula’s Fourth Term in Brazil

The President promised to make full day schooling universal through high school and to extend the Pé-de-Meia incentive to all students at that level, a program that keeps young people from abandoning the classroom for work. He also announced a university version of the program.

Lula also announced that care policies for older people will be taken seriously, calling the elderly responsible for the existence of Brazilians. “I have no preference for any religion. I have preference for the faith of the Brazilian people,” he said, defending a secular state that guarantees full religious freedom.

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The re-elected President framed the result as more than a win at the polls. “This election was a defeat of denialism. It was a defeat of the lie,” he declared. He confessed that the debates left him shaken, despite his long experience and a year of constant meetings with leaders of the G20, the BRICS and the G7.

None of that, he said, prepared him to face “a genuine representative of the militias in this country,” referring to Flavio Bolsonaro. “I never imagined that a person could lie so much with such shamelessness, as if he had not a bit of sincerity inside him,” he added.

Minha gratidão eterna ao povo brasileiro, à juventude que tomou as ruas em defesa da democracia e a cada pessoa que fez um esforço imenso para votar e defender o futuro do nosso país.

Vocês me emocionam e renovam minha esperança. Essa vitória é de um povo que acredita, que luta… pic.twitter.com/bYpKMdFgP0

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 26, 2026

Regulating Platforms, Building AI

Lula announced that digital platforms will be regulated and demanded that crimes committed online receive the same treatment as crimes in real life. He questioned companies that earn millions in Brazil without paying taxes while trying to steer the vote, and denounced foreign interference through those platforms during the campaign.

The President’s plan for technology carries a nationalist stamp. “I do not want to depend on North American artificial intelligence. I want to create a Brazilian one,” he said. To achieve it, he proposed using the country’s renewable energy to attract data centers, on the condition that companies reserve part of their capacity for Brazilian information.

That project feeds a larger ambition, to move Brazil from a developing country to a developed one, powered by the digital, green and creative economies. Lula credited the people’s creative potential rather than himself. “We want to be a central country in political and economic decisions and in the promotion of peace,” he said.

“We are going to teach the world how climate policies are handled in this country,” he promised, noting that this year Brazil will reduce deforestation for four consecutive years for the first time.

Obrigado, povo brasileiro!

📸 @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/OHkV0hThoQ

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 26, 2026

Lula thanked the people for their generosity in the second round and the young people who took to the streets to defend democracy. He recalled the elderly who reached the polls carried by their grandchildren and cancer patients who voted anyway, convinced their ballot was essential. To that conviction he attributed the lowest abstention and the fewest null votes in the country’s history.

Lula achieves his fourth term after an unprecedented comeback, and his party, the Worker’s Party (PT), gains more than 20 seats over what he achieved in 2022 in the Chamber of Deputies. The re-election, which term officially starts on January 1, 2027, represents a break with the regional trend of triumphs by right-wing candidates allied to U.S. President Trump.

Presidents and former leaders across Latin America celebrated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s fourth term on Sunday after the official count confirmed his runoff victory in Brazil with 51.79 percent of valid votes.

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Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva won Sunday’s presidential runoff against Senator Flávio Bolsonaro with 51.79% of valid votes, securing a fourth term, with 99.99% of precincts reported, and drawing congratulations from leaders across Latin America.

RELATED: Lula Wins Brazil Elections: Decisive Victory Confirmed With Over 99% of Votes Counted

With nearly all precincts counted, Lula had 64,255,891 votes against 59,825,984 for Bolsonaro, a margin of 4,429,907 votes. Lula had finished second in the first round, and the pollster Datafolha described the turnaround as unprecedented since 1989.

Latin America Reacts

Former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner was the first to write, addressing the Brazilian people before the candidate. She called the vote “an authentic electoral October 17,” a reference to the 1945 mass workers’ rally in Buenos Aires that secured the release of Juan Domingo Perón and is considered the founding date of Peronism. She added that Lula, in his seventh presidential election, “knew how to awaken feeling and meaning in his compatriots to win this battle.”

FELICITACIONES… primero al pueblo brasileño que hoy protagonizó un auténtico 17 de Octubre electoral y después… a usted, compañero presidente Lula, que en su séptima elección presidencial supo despertar en sus compatriotas sentimiento y sentido para ganar esta batalla.

— Cristina Kirchner (@CFKArgentina) October 26, 2026

From Havana, President Miguel Díaz-Canel spoke on behalf of the Cuban government and people. He celebrated a “historic victory that guarantees the continuity of the path of peace, sovereignty and social justice undertaken by the Brazilian people under your leadership.” He also offered Cuba’s support for Latin American and Caribbean unity and integration.

Estimado hermano @LulaOficial, te felicito en nombre del gobierno y pueblo cubanos por esta victoria histórica que garantiza la continuidad del camino de paz, soberanía y justicia social emprendido por el pueblo brasileño bajo tu liderazgo.

1/2 pic.twitter.com/5U9azS8Mvc

— Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez (@DiazCanelB) October 26, 2026

The President of Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi, communicated this Sunday with the Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, to congratulate him on his victory in the second round of elections and highlight the democratic holiday that the country lived.

“I just got in touch with Brazil’s president-elect, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a friend. I congratulated him on the triumph and for the democratic holiday that represents an electoral process”, said Orsi in his social networks.

Acabo de comunicarme con el presidente electo de Brasil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, un amigo.

Lo felicité por el triunfo y por la fiesta democrática que representa un proceso electoral.

— Yamandú Orsi (@OrsiYamandu) October 26, 2026

For his part, the President of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, congratulated Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for his victory in the second round of the presidential elections of Brazil, in which he defeated the ultra-right senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

“Congratulations @LulaOficial on your election as President of Brazil. Greeting the Brazilian people for this great democratic day”, published Peña on social network X.

The ruler affirmed that Paraguay and Brazil share “a common agenda of integration and development”, while promising to continue “working together for the well-being” of their peoples.

Felicidades @LulaOficial por tu elección como Presidente del Brasil. Saludo al pueblo brasileño por esta gran jornada democrática. El Paraguay y Brasil comparten una agenda común de integración y desarrollo. Seguiremos trabajando juntos por el bienestar de nuestra gente.

— Santiago Peña (@SantiPenap) October 26, 2026

“I congratulate President @LulaOficial on his victory. Bolivia and Brazil are neighboring and fraternal countries, united by a shared history and common challenges,” stated the Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz, while he seeks to strengthen bilateral relationship and create more opportunities for both nations.

Felicito al presidente @LulaOficial por su victoria. Bolivia y Brasil somos países vecinos y hermanos, unidos por una historia y desafíos comunes. Seguiremos trabajando juntos para fortalecer nuestra relación y generar más oportunidades para nuestras naciones. 🇧🇴🤝🇧🇷

— Rodrigo Paz Pereira (@Rodrigo_PazP) October 26, 2026

Bolivia’s former President Evo Morales chose a more intimate tone. “Brother of my soul and comrade in struggle, congratulations on this beautiful and heroic victory,” he wrote on social media.

For the Aymara leader, the Brazilian’s re-election reaches across the continent. “Your triumph renews the hope of the peoples who fight for social justice, dignity and sovereignty,” he added, closing with cheers for the Brazilian people and the Latin American region.

@LulaOficial ! Hermano del alma y compañero de lucha, felicidades por esta hermosa y heroica victoria!

Tu triunfo renueva la esperanza de los pueblos que luchan por la justicia social, la dignidad y la soberanía. Desde Bolivia, te enviamos un abrazo revolucionario y fraterno,… pic.twitter.com/XflrKlOz5F

— Evo Morales Ayma (@evoespueblo) October 26, 2026

Colombian Former President Gustavo Petro argued that Brazil had halted the advance of fascism in Latin America and credited a people who resisted a flood of fake bots. He also highlighted Brazil’s electoral system, which runs on public software and which, in his view, citizens guarded to prevent fraud.

Petro affirmed that the victory saves social justice and the country’s natural resources from foreign ambition. “Well done Lula,” he wrote. “This is a triumph for humanity and a strategic defeat for the forces of darkness.“

Se ha detenido el fascismo en America Latina en Brasil.

El pueblo brasileño libre logró frenar la avalancha de los bots falsos y el sistema electoral con software público y bien cuidado por la gente evitó fraudes, se salva la justicia social en Brasil y el intento extranjero de… pic.twitter.com/oETnxYC6Sq

— Gustavo Petro (@petrogustavo) October 26, 2026

Mexico’s President, Claudia Sheinbaum, also congratulated Lula. “Long live democracy, the people of Brazil won. Congratulations President Lula!” Sheinbaum noted in a social media post.

Viva la democracia, ganó el pueblo de Brasil. ¡Felicidades presidente Lula!

— Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo (@Claudiashein) October 26, 2026

Numbers and Background

In the 2022 runoff, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by 50.90% to 49.10%. Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters then called for a military coup, and courts later sentenced the former President to 27 years in prison for trying to overturn that result. From prison, Bolsonaro named his eldest son, 44, as his candidate.

Earlier on Sunday, voting was extended by two hours, to 7 P.M., by Supreme Court justice Cristiano Zanin. The vote count was paused and then resumed.

On October 4, Flavio Bolsonaro had led the first round with 47.03% against Lula’s 45.16%. Surveys on the eve of the runoff showed a technical tie at 51 and 49 percent. The final tally reversed that picture and closed the door on the Bolsonaro family’s return to power.

Lula will be sworn in for his fourth term on January 5, 2027. His new victory is expected to have significant implications beyond Brazil’s borders. As the largest economy and most populous country in Latin America, Brazil plays a central role in regional diplomacy, trade, and environmental policy.

With 99.75% of the vote counted, Brazil’s presidential runoff was declared “mathematically defined,” putting incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on track to defeat Flavio Bolsonaro.

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Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has secured reelection as Brazilian President, defeating Flávio Bolsonaro in a closely contested presidential runoff and winning an unprecedented fourth term in office, with a difference of over four million ballots and more than three percentage points.

RELATED: Brazilian Expats in Asia and Oceania Back Lula in Majority of Nations

The count, which surpassed 99 percent of polling stations, was declared mathematically defined well before the final numbers landed.

The result marks a significant political moment for the region’s largest democracy, signaling both continuity with Lula’s political legacy and a new chapter in Brazil’s evolving democratic landscape.

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Historic Outcome

As vote counting progressed throughout the evening, Lula steadily maintained an advantage that ultimately became impossible for his rival to overcome. Electoral analysts and officials declared the race mathematically decided before the final ballots were counted, effectively confirming Lula’s return to the nation’s highest office.

The election represented one of the most consequential political contests in recent Brazilian history. Lula, a president known for his social programs and efforts to reduce poverty during his previous administrations, campaigned on promises of economic inclusion, institutional stability, and national reconciliation. Throughout the campaign, he emphasized the need to strengthen democratic institutions, expand opportunities for lower-income Brazilians, and restore Brazil’s international standing.

Flávio Bolsonaro entered the race carrying the political legacy of his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to overturn the 2022 election results. His campaign appealed primarily to conservative voters, highlighting issues related to public security, economic liberalization, and traditional values. The contest therefore became a referendum not only on competing political platforms but also on two distinct visions for Brazil’s future.

Voter turnout remained strong across much of the country, reflecting the high stakes of the election. Major urban centers, as well as many rural areas, reported significant participation levels as citizens headed to polling stations to determine the direction of the nation for the coming years.

Political observers noted that the campaign was marked by intense debates over economic policy, environmental protection, public spending, and Brazil’s role in international affairs. These issues dominated public discussions and helped mobilize millions of voters on both sides of the political spectrum.

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Regional Impact

Lula’s victory is expected to have significant implications beyond Brazil’s borders. As the largest economy and most populous country in Latin America, Brazil plays a central role in regional diplomacy, trade, and environmental policy.

One area likely to receive immediate attention is environmental policy, particularly regarding the Amazon rainforest. During the campaign, Lula reiterated commitments to environmental protection and sustainable development, issues that have attracted growing international concern in recent years. Global leaders and environmental organizations are expected to monitor how these commitments translate into government action.

Economically, investors and business leaders will be looking for signals regarding fiscal policy, market regulation, and social spending priorities. Lula faces the challenge of balancing economic growth with social programs designed to reduce inequality and improve living standards for millions of Brazilians.

The election also highlights the resilience of Brazil’s democratic institutions. Despite a highly polarized political environment and an intensely competitive campaign, the electoral process proceeded under established constitutional rules. The public security balance described a day characterized by widespread calm and a low rate of irregularities at voting centers.

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Lula, the President re-elected, becomes the most popular presidential candidate in Brazil’s history and he will be sworn in for a fourth term on January 5, 2027. With the election effectively settled before the final count was completed, Brazil begins a new political era under the leadership of Lula, a figure whose return to power is likely to influence both national policy and regional politics for years to come.

Obrigado, povo brasileiro!

📸 @ricardostuckert pic.twitter.com/OHkV0hThoQ

— Lula (@LulaOficial) October 26, 2026